Excited frame vibratory conveying devices are well known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,313,535, and 6,276,518, both of which are incorporated by reference herein, shows typical excited frame or vibratory conveying apparatus designs. Such prior art devices as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,313,535 typically include a vibratory drive mounted on an elongated frame and which rests on a floor or other supporting structure. Extending upwardly from the frame and inclined in the direction of the intake or in feed of the conveyor are a plurality of leaf springs. An elongated conveyor or product transporting bed is mounted on the distal ends of each of the leaf springs and is supported by them in generally parallel relation relative to the frame and in a substantially overall horizontal orientation. Those skilled in the art will recognize that due to the resiliency of the respective leaf springs, the product conveying bed is capable of moving relative to the supporting frame in response to a force imported to the bed by a vibratory drive. During operation of an excited frame vibratory conveying device, the vibratory drive produces an oscillating vibratory force which is generated by counter rotating eccentric weights which are subcomponents of the vibratory drive. In view of the fact that the vibratory drive is mounted on the frame, it imparts vibratory motion to the frame which is then transferred to the overhead conveyor or product transporting bed. As a result, the conveyor bed vibrates at substantially the same frequency as the drive and frame.
As compared with other types of vibratory conveyors that are generally available, excited frame vibratory conveying devices impart less vibrational force to the floor or other supporting structure as the device is energized. This is due, in part, to the relatively lightweight of such devices and the small vibrational amplitude of the frame as compared to the vibrational amplitude of the product conveying bed. This low level of vibrational force transferred to the surrounding structure is a chief advantage of excited frame vibratory conveyors as seen in the prior art.
While vibratory conveyors of the type, noted above, have gained increasing acceptance and are widely used in many industry segments, developers and operators of such devices have sought means to make such excited frame conveyors as versatile as possible. For example, referring now to U.S. Pat. No. 6,460,680, an example of a diverter assembly which may be utilized in combination with a vibratory conveyor as described above is shown. The device as illustrated in this patent is useful for diverting products of various types along different courses of travel based upon the characteristics of the product being employed. In addition to the foregoing, other designs of vibratory conveyors have been developed which may be utilized with other processing machinery to widen the range of application and which these same conveyors may find usefulness. Such vibratory conveyors may have different drive assemblies which, for example, they may be electromagnetically driven as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 6,079,549, and which further impart reciprocal linear motion to a product transporting bed.
A manufacturing device for use with a vibratory conveyor having a product transporting bed similar to that described in the prior art is the subject matter of the present application.